Voice from London

Financial Times: No place like home for workers   01/03

China had pipped Germany as the world's largest exporter reinforced confidence that the country's factories are back. The workers they rely on, however, are not back, despite ever greater inducements for them to return.

China officially returned to work this week, after the end of the lunar new year holiday, with factory managers more optimistic than ever that the worst of the global financial crisis is behind them. There is just one problem-the workers many factories were so quick to let go in late 2008 and early 2009 are not lining up outside their gates any more.

"It's kind of a scary situation, quite frankly," said Charles Hubbs, the American owner of Fortunique, a Guangzhou-based medical products manufacturer. "If we were to get swamped with orders, where would we get the workers? There are going to be some interesting times ahead."

After 14 months of year-on-year declines, the value of China's exports finally increased in December. According to the General Administration of Customs, China's foreign trade figures for January recovered to 2008 levels. Then confirmation earlier this month that China had pipped Germany as the world's largest exporter reinforced confidence that the country's factories are back. The workers they rely on, however, are not back, despite ever greater inducements for them to return.

Economist    25/02

China is preparing for the upcoming parliamentary meeting with a propaganda blitz about the session's importance as a conduit for public opinion. Online opinion polls seek votes on the topics of most interest at the meeting. Corruption, income disparities and soaring house prices rate highly.